Grave cribber



Patented July 20, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,324,465 GRAVEURIBEER Gaylord P. Bleakley, Kansas City, Mo. Application May 9, 1941,serial No. 392,692

7 Claims. I (01.61-41) This invention relates to cribbing of thecharacter particularly constructed for use in connection withexcavations used for graves, and the primary object is to providecribbing that will be strong, effective, easy to install and capable ofplacement without difficulty.

Y :One of the important aims of the instant invention is to providegrave cribbing comprising parts that are relatvelypsimple inconstruction, compact in nature,` and easily installed and removed fromthe operative position and which permits fthe, excavation to be ofminimum size to eliminatez'the necessity of` forming a relatively Ilarge grave merely :because cribbing is to be 'use de.

Another object of this Ainvention is to provide side plates` formingl apartof'the cribbing that have means for piercing the sides of theexcavation, and which hold the plates in position while specially formedbraces are operably connected to oppositely disposed plates `for thepurpose of imparting outward pressure thereto.

,' ',Thisinvention'has for another aim, the provision of speciallyformed braces comprising flanged feet that rest upon the aforesaid sideplate ,in a manner to prevent dropping while the tightening action ofthe brace takes place.

"A yet further object of the present invention is to `provide cribbingand parts thereof, that may be easily placed and removed 'fromfpositionwithout ,the"necessity' of the operator entering the excavation andwithout the employment of tools other than a hooked rod, .by means ofwhich the parts" of Vthecribbing may be lifted from the excavation'.

Minor objects of the invention will appear during the course of thefollowing specification, referringto theaccompanying drawings wherein: fFig. 1`is a top plan View of cribbing embodyingithis invention, in placeWithin an excavation. i'Fig 2 is a vertical sectional view through thejcribbing taken on line II`II`of Fig. 1.

' IFig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional View through the' cribbing,taken onl line III-III of Fig. 2.

".Eig. 4 is a detailed sectional view through one 'of the side plates ofthe4 cribbing, taken on line of Fig. 2.

" Fig. 'is a 'similar view taken on line V-V of Fig. 2; and

Fig; 6 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view taken `on line VI-VI ofFig. 3.

-It -has heretofore beencustomary to provide grave crbbers, constructedof relatively heavy material, necessitating digging the excavation from4 in. to 8 in. wider than needed merely to provide space for thecribbing parts and yet a1- low the lowering of the vault. This invention.contemplates the employment of materials .for

the production of cribbing parts that will be strong, yet thin in orderthat `the excavation might remain the same in dimension yet stillreceive the vault when the cribbing is in place.

In the drawingsl the numeral 8 designates the excavation generallyhaving side walls I0 and a `bottom I2 upon which rests the vault I3,when the latter is lowered. to position.

, .As the excavation 8 increasesin depth, the digger applies oppositelydisposed side plates I4, each of which comprises at least two sectionsI6 and I8 respectively. Section I6 is relatively short and extendslongitudinally from one end of section I8 and is slidably supported by.channels 20. Section I8 has a rib 22 secured along the outer facethere-of to extend into sides I0 of excavation 8 when` side plate I4 isrst positioned.

Rib 22 extends laterally from the said outer vface of section I8 atsubstantially right angles thereto and a sufficient distance to supportthe plate and all of its parts until brace 24 is lbrought into play.Brace 24 lcomprises a pair of arms 26 l and 28 respectively, the formerbeing U-shaped in transverse cross section. `The legs of this U- shapedarm 2G are provided with opposed perfo- `rations 30, whichrreceive pin32carried by the free end of arm 28. t

Arm` 28 is a single strip of steel or strap metal and enters between thelegs of arm 26 when brace 24 is exerting pressure upon side plates I4.Olne end of arm 28 is secured to arm 26 intermediate its ends'as justabove set down so that 28 are articulated for easy manipulation;

An `ear 34 secured to one end of U-shaped arm 26 receives the hooked endof a rod 36, which the operator may` use to Vwithdraw all parts of thecribber from excavation.

Each arm 26 and 28 has a foot 38 of identical character, pivotallymounted at the remote ends thereof through the medium of bolts orthelike '40. Each foot 38 has an outwardly extending flange 4 2 at thenormallyV upper end thereof for engaging theupper edge of oppositelydisposed vside plates I4. Thus, when the brace 24 is lirst movedto'place within the excavation, it may hang on thepreviously positionedside" plates I4 until sufcient downward force is exerted at the Zone ofjuncture between arms 26 and 28 to move the arms to alignment, as shownin Fig. 3. Each side plate I4 has a hole 44 to receive the hooked end ofrod 36.

During the preparation of excavation 8, side plates I4 are applied tosides I8 of the excavation as it is deepened. After the side plates I4are placed, braces 24 are disposed at each end of excavation 8 to exertoutward pressure on the side plates. Ribs Z2 on each section I8 ofplates I4 will strengthen the side plate assembly to such an extent thatlongitudinally arching will not occur and since sections I6 and I8 ofplates I4 are made of sheet metal, less than 1X2 in. in thickness, theywill not occupy an appreciable amount of the space formed withinexcavation 8.

After the vault I3 is lowered to position, hooked rod 38 is used toremove all parts of the cribbing. The operator need not enter theexcavation t manipulate tools or the like, to disassemble the parts. Anupward pull on ears 34 of braces 24Y breaks the rigid condition existingbecause of the strain, after which the oppositely disposed side platesI4 may be withdrawn from excavation 8 by engaging holes 44. Obviously,the distance between the inner faces of side plates I4 should be veryslightly less than the distance between the outer faces of feet 38, witharms 26 and 28 in alignment, before the brace 24 is forced to place.Thus, a sufllcient amount of pressure is exerted to hold braces 24against side plates I4 and prevent accidental displacement as the depthof excavation 8 increases.

In most instances, it is desirable to slot sides I0 of the excavationwith a shovel or the like, so that ribs 22 may be received and serve ashangers for the side plates prior to the application of braces 24.

I-Iaving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. In cribbing of the character described, a series of oppositelydisposed side plates; braces extending between the side plates; andflanged feet pivotally secured to the braces formed to hang on theplates with the faces thereof in abutting relation therewith throughouttheir lengths as the braces are swung about the pivots to and from theoperative position.

2. In cribbing of the character described, a series of oppositelydisposed side plates; and braces extending between the side plates, eachside plate having a horizontal, laterally projecting, rib along theouter face thereof between the Vlongitudinal edges thereof to extendinto the sides of the excavation to suspend the plate in operativeposition, said side braces each having a pair of articulated arms, afoot pivotally secured tothe free ends of said arms respectively, and aflange on each foot for engaging the upper edges of the adjacent plates.

3. In cribbing of the character described, a series of oppositelydisposed side plates; and braces extending between the side plates, eachside plate having a horizontal, laterally projecting, rib along theouter face thereof to extend into the sides of the excavation to suspendthe plate in operative position, said braces each having a pair ofarticulated arms, a foot at the free ends of said arms respectively, anda flange on each foot for engaging the upper edges of the adjacentplates, one of said arms being U-shaped in cross section and providedwith perforations in the legs thereof, the other of said arms beingembraced by the U-shaped arm and having a pin thereon extendingoutwardly through opposed perforations, said feet being pivotallysecured to their respective arms the point of connection between thefeet and said braces being in the same horizontal plane as the ribs onthe plates when the flanges of the feet are in engagement with the upperedges of the plates.

4. In cribbing of the character described, a series of oppositelydisposed side plates; braces extending between the side plates; andflanged feet on the braces formed to hang on the plates when in theoperative position, said flanges engaging the upper edges of the plates,the said feet being pivotally secured to their respective arms thepivotal connection between said feet and the braces being adapted toallow the entire faces of the feet to lie flat against the plates as thebrace is moved to and from a position to exert force thereagainst.

5. In cribbing of the character described, a

pair of oppositely disposed side plates adapted for placement againstthe Vertical faces of a grave; and braces extending across the gravebetween said side plates at each end' respectively thereof, each of saidside plates comprising'at least two slidably engaged planar sections,one 0f the sections of each plate having a' longitudinal'L- shaped ribsecured thereto and extending substantially the full length thereof, oneleg ofthe L-shaped rib being perpendicular to oneface of the sectionVto` enter the earth and serve as a support and stiffener for thesection, theother section of each plate being smooth on both facesthereof for free movement longitudinally along the outer face of thefirst mentioned section, said braces each comprising a pair ofoverlapping arms, a pivot pin extending through the arms, and a foot onthe free end of each arm respe'c# tively, said feet having flanges atthe upper ends thereof to rest upon the upper edges of the respectivesections of the side plates, said feet'being pivotally joined to therespective arms and having smooth outer sides to lie flat'against thesections of the side plates before the `arms are moved to parallelrelation with veach other to exert outward force against the saidsections.` 6. In cribbing of the vcharacter described,r a Vseries ofoppositely disposed side plates; braces ,between said plates, eachcomprising a. pair of arms', one of said arms having one end pivotallyconnected to said other arm intermediatethe ends of the latter; vand afoot pivotally mountedon the free end of each arm, said foot having aflange on its upper edge for resting on the upperzedgeof one of saidplates. Y. i 7. In cribbing lof the ycharacter described, a series ofoppositely,V disposed side plates;`. braces between said plates, eachcomprising` a pair of arms, one of said Varmsbeing U-shaped in Acrosssection for embracing theA other arm, said othi arm having vone endpivotally connected to the arm of U-shaped cross section intermediatefits ends whereby movement of the arms to a horizontal position islimited 4an aligned relation of one arm to the other; a foot pivotallymount-ved on the free end of each arm ,for engaging a side plate; and aloop on the oppositeendpf lthe arm of U-shaped cross section for the,lntroc'iucf tion of a hook tor break the aligned. relation of saidarms.Y .ff

GAYLORD P. BLEAKLEY.

